Wire clothespin



July 3, 1951 w, WHEELER 2,559, l39 I WIRE CLOTHESPIN Filed`"Apri1 30, 1948 Paten'ted July 3, 1951 William Wheeler, Coventry, England Application April 30, 1948, Serial No. 24,286 In Great Britain May 9, 1947 1 Claim.

My main object is to provide an improved clothes peg (i. e., a peg for use in olamping garments, linen, cloths or the like articles to a clothes line when they are to be dried) which will be very efiicient in operation and inexpensive to manufacture. A further object is to provide a light and easily-holdable clothes peg so that the housewife or domestic helper can without diflioulty carry a bunch of them, selecting o-ne at a time as different articles are 'being securecl to the clothes line.

'Ifhese and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following description in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is an elevation of one form of clothes peg embodying the invention, Figure 2 being a similar view when the clothes peg is being usedthe article being clamped against the clothes line being indicated by chain lines;

Figures 3 to 6 inclusive are elevations showing modified forms of clothes pegs; and

Figure 7 is a cross-section, to a larger scale, through any of the clothes pegs, being taken, for example, on the line 1-1 of Figure 6.

In each of the constructions shown the clothes peg is formed of a single length of wire, this preferably being a non-rusting wire, encased in a flexible sheath. Figure '1 shows the wire at IO enoased in a polyvinyl fiexible sheath l l, which is of pleasing appearance.

Each length of wire has a main portion |2 which is bent to be substantially of U -shape, having parallel limbs 13, Ill joined to one another by a curved bridging portion l5. In addition, there are substantially parallel reversely-extending spring portions l1, |8 which, as shown by Figure 2, are adapted to yieldingly clamp an article, indicated as a sheet or cloth |9, round a clothes line, indicated at 20. Each of these substantially parallel spring portions |1, |8 is joined to the end of the adjacent limb |3 and l4, respectively, by inclined diverging portions 22, 23 which serve to give a lead to the article and clothes line When entering between the said spring portions ll and l8.

Furthermore, in each of the constructions one of the spring portions, namely, portion |1 in the various figures, terminates at its inner end with a part 25 which extends transversely across the inward extremity of the other spring portion, namely, portion |8, in order to form a stop for limiting the inward travel of the article,

Thus, by this means the user of any of these pegs can carry a bunch of them in one hand and, in a very simple manner, successively place them round a cloth or the like when the latter is being held by the other hand in position against a clothes line.

In the construction of Figures 1 and 2 the transversely-extending part 25 terminates with a loop 21 through which the adjacent limb |4 of the main portion |2 extends with clearance. Furtherrnore, the inward extremity of the spring portion IB is formed as a loop 28 through which the transversely-extending part 25 passes with clearance. Thus, the transversely-extending part 25 is slidingly engaged with the limb hl and the inward extremity of the spring portion |8 is slidingly engaged with the transversely-extending part 25.

In the construction of Figure 3 the transversely-extending part 25 has a relatiVely-large loop 3D at its end which encircles lboth the adjacent limb |4 of the main portion and the spring portion |8.

In the construction of Figure 4 the transversely-extending part 25 terminates with a loop 21 through which the limb hi slidingly extends as in the case of Figures 1 and 2, but the inward extremity 32 of the spring portion |8 does not extend quite as far as the transverse part 25 and is turned away fromV the spring portion |1 to avoid the likelihood of the cloth or the like being pinched by its extremity.

The construction of Figure 5 differs mainly from that of Figure 1 in that the transverse part 25 terminates short of the adjacent limb M, being slidingly engagecl by the hooked end. 28 of the spring portion 18. Likewise, the construction of Figure 6 differs from that of Figure 4 mainly in that the transverse part 25 terminates short of the adjacent limb l-'l towards which it is directed.

What I clairn as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A clothes peg formed of a single length of Wire, said wire having a main portion which is of generally U-shape having parallel limbs, and having substantially parallel reversely-extending spring portions adapted to yieldingly clamp an article against a clothes line, said substantially parallel portions being joined to the ends, respectively, of the limbs of said main portion by diverging portions serving to give a lead to the article when entering between said parallel portions, and one of said parallel portions terminating at its inner end with a part extending directly across the inward extremity of the other of said REFERENCES CITED parallel porons to form a' Stop for limitmg the The following referehces are of record in the inward travel of the article, the nward extremfile of this patent:

ity of said other parallel portion being formed as a loop Within which said transversely-extend- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS ing part slidingly engages. Number Name Date '788,509 Ball et al May 2, 1905 WILLIAM WHEELER. 1,258,468 cockrm V June 15, 1918 

